Let America Be America Again What Type of Poem Is the Negro Speaks of Rivers

Langston Hughes famously wrote'The Negro Speaks of Rivers'when he was only seventeen years old. He was on a train crossing the Mississippi River on the way to see his father in United mexican states. Since and so, the verse form has become i of his best-known and nigh usually quoted. It was provided inspiration for boyfriend poets and artists who have besides used the paradigm of the river to depict Black perseverance and force.

Summary

'The Negro Speaks of Rivers' by Langston Hughes is told from the perspective of a homo who has seen the peachy ages of the world aslope the banks of the most important rivers.

The poem begins with the speaker stating that he knows rivers very well. There are a few in particular he wants to share with the reader. All of them are amid the largest and longest on the planet. They have likewise all played host to some of the most important historical events and civilizations on the planet. The speaker has seen humankind'due south first moments alongside the Euphrates, participated in the edifice of the pyramids, and listened to the Mississippi while Abraham Lincoln was sibling downwards information technology.

The poem concludes with a repetition of the opening lines, making sure a reader is aware of the speaker's deep connection to the bodies of water.

You can read the full poem here.

Themes

Hughes engages with themes of identity and perseverance in'The Negro Speaks of Rivers.' Both of these themes are common in Hughes' poetry. He ofttimes emphasizes the history of Black men and women and what they've had to endure throughout the centuries of slavery and bigotry in America. The poem proudly and directly asserts that Black lineage is strong, longlasting, and worth celebrating. The speaker spends the poem talking about their experiences throughout time, interim as a symbol of all Black men and women who accept had their ability suppressed.

Meaning

Hughes wrote'The Negro Speaks of Rivers'in gild to celebrate the strength of Black heritage and perseverance. his speaker goes through the poem informing the reader that he or she has seen the world along the banks of famous, historically important rivers. Black history has flowed, as a river, from the beginnings of time despite many individuals and societies attempting to stop it.

Construction and Form

'The Negro Speaks of Rivers' by Langston Hughes is a thirteen-line poem that does not brand use of a specific rhyme scheme. The lines also do not arrange to a metrical design, meaning that the verse form is written in free poetry. Often, the uncontrolled feeling of the lines leads readers to relate the poem to the menstruation of a river. Some of the lines are quite brusque, such as the outset line which has only 4 syllables while the following line has 20-three. The line breaks, or lack thereof, also contribute to this feeling.

Literary Devices

Hughes makes utilize of several literary devices in 'The Negro Speaks of Rivers.'These include just are not limited to enjambment, imagery, and repetition. A reader volition immediately notice that Hughes uses a slap-up deal of the latter. This is especially axiomatic at the beginning and finish of 'The Negro Speaks of Rivers.' There are also 4 notable instances in the middle section with the use of "I" fastened to a verb at the beginnings of lines 5-8.

Hughes also makes use of enjambment. This is seen when a line is cut off before its natural stopping signal if ane was speaking aloud. This forces a reader's optics to move back and forth very quickly through the text. There is a lot of jumping around every bit if to mimic the chaos of h2o.

Imagery is one of the about important techniques a poet tin can engage with. Without it, readers would be left without a clear idea of what's going on in the verse form and likely leave unaffected by it. 1 of the best examples of imagery in the poem tin be found in this phrase: " I've seen its muddy bosom plough all gold in the sunset." Or, some other skillful case are these lines from the beginning of the verse form: "I've known rivers ancient as the globe and older than the menstruation of human blood in human veins."

The Negro Speaks of RiversAnalysis

Lines one-4

I've known rivers:

(…)

My soul has grown deep similar the rivers.

The poem begins with the speaker utilizing a keen bargain of repetition. The title of this slice immediately comes into play with the beginning-person narrator. Ane can assume that the speaker is black, as it is "I" who speaks of "rivers." The first lines state that not just has he, and volition he speak of rivers, he has "known" them. This is a strange plow of phrase. There is an element of personification used here which brings the reader closer to the world the speaker lives in. He became so close to these bodies of h2o he knew them, as one might know a young man human.

The starting line, "I've known rivers," is used again at the start of the second line. It is not just any river he has known, but ones that are every bit "ancient as the world." These bodies of water are vastly of import to the history of the globe. They somewhen came to exist to humanity as well. The human element of the landscape is secondary to that which occurred earlier humans became the dominant species on the planet. This is emphasized past the argument that the water of the rivers is older than the,

Menstruation of human blood in human veins.

These features of the earth are being considered above the humans that eventually claimed them. The terminal lines of this section state that the speaker'southward soul has "grown deep like the rivers." It has taken on the ancient and multilayered aspects of rivers as well as their progression through a landscape. His soul is similar the most aboriginal and longest of rivers. This is going to play into the next stanza in which he travels through a keen many years.

Lines 5-7

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
(…)
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids in a higher place it.

In the next set up of lines, the speaker lists out a number of rivers he visited and came to know. A reader should have note of the 4 lines of this section that begin with "I." It is the first four in which the speaker goes from the Euphrates to the "Mississippi" telling the story of his life.

The first place he takes the reader to is the "Euphrates" River which flows through the s of Turkey and into Iraq. It is one of the longest in the earth. This body of water is deeply connected to mythology and ancient history. Information technology is recorded that the metropolis of Babylon was erected on its banks. It is oftentimes linked with the Tigris. Together they made up the Tigris-Euphrates river system. It was here that he experienced the young "dawns." This is a reference to the beginning of time or at to the lowest degree the beginnings of human civilisation.

Side by side, the speaker takes the reader to the "Congo." Here he is referring to the second-longest river in Africa, the Congo River. It runs through three unlike countries, the Republic of Congo, the Congo-kinshasa, and Angola. This line is easy enough to interpret. He built his hut at that place on its banks and allowed information technology to lull him to sleep. This is quite an intimate way to get to know a river. Every moment he spends with each of these bodies of water is similar in that fashion. He has a personal connection with them.

In the side by side lines, he goes on to speak near the "Nile" River, the world's longest. It flows from the s to the due north in northeastern Africa. From his moment in fourth dimension, he was looking "upon the Nile" while helping to build the pyramids. This clearly places him amongst the peasants or slaves who worked for the pharaohs of Egypt. Aside from the marvel of the pyramids, the Nile is the source of life for much of the region. He is aligning himself effectually the nearly important natural elements of his various times.

Lines eight-ten

I heard the singing of the Missisippi when Abe Lincoln

(…)

bosom turn all gold in the sunset

Finally, he moves on to more modern times and the "Mississippi" River. He was listening to the sound of the Mississippi River while,

Abe Lincoln

went down to New Orleans,

This is a reference to a particular trip taken by Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States. When he was a immature human he guided a boat downward the river. This gave him his first glimpse of what slavery was like. The marketplace in New Orleans was one of the largest in the world. In the last line of this department, he says that he has seen the muddy banks of the river turn "golden" due to the setting of the sun.

Lines eleven-13

I've known rivers:

(…)

My soul has grown deep live the rivers.

In the last three lines of this slice, the speaker returns to the repetition that marked the first of 'The Negro Speaks of Rivers.' The lines are mostly the same with a slight alter in the heart. He begins with the third repetition of the phrase, "I've known rivers." They are used as a mark for the long and multifaceted life he has lived. He has been present at some of the globe'south virtually of import historical occasions, all due to his friendship and dedication to these bodies of h2o. They are described as being "dusky" and "ancient." This gives them a darker, shadow-like undertone suited to the diversity of experiences he had.

In determination, the speaker utilizes the line, "My soul has grown deep similar the rivers" again. Information technology is clear this is the case. He has seen a cracking bargain more than than whatsoever living person could hope to.

Like Poetry

Readers who enjoyed'The Negro Speaks of Rivers'should also consider reading some of Langston Hughes' other best-known poems. For case,

• 'Dreams' – addresses the nature of dreams and the fact that men, women, and children should never allow go of them. This stands true no affair how hard life gets.
• 'Beale Street Dearest' –is set up in Memphis, Tennesse the dwelling house of Blues music. He explores the dynamics of race and beloved as they come together in a metaphorical landscape of relationships.
• 'Mother to Son' –is another famous Hughes poem. In it, the speaker, a female parent, addresses her son telling him what he needs to know about growing up and dealing with the troubles life will surely throw at him.

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Source: https://poemanalysis.com/langston-hughes/the-negro-speaks-of-rivers/

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